1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to electrical distribution systems of the type having insulated conductors disposed within a conduit, steel housing, or similar conductive enclosure, for example, of the type which are used in conjunction with prefabricated and prewired office partitions or room divider panels and other modular furniture, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for effecting an electrical grounding of the enclosures of such distribution systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Design considerations often call for electrical wiring to be enclosed in a metal housing or enclosure. For example, the power distribution lines used in prewired office space partitions and other modular furniture may be enclosed within a distribution housing, and within flexible steel conduits coupling distributions. Present techniques for grounding a conduit or electrical distribution housing include external clamping structures coupled to one or both ends of the conduit, a ground wire within the enclosure clamped to the enclosure, and a ground bar which pierces the insulation of a grounded wire and also contacts the surface of the part to be grounded. These techniques are relatively costly, labor intensive, and often ineffective in providing adequate grounding of enclosures such as extra-flex conduit having a significant linear resistance.
The present invention provides a technique of grounding enclosures which is less labor intensive, provides grounding of the enclosure in a number of regions throughout the extent of the enclosure thereby complying with ground impedance requirements for extra-flex conduits, and reduces the amount of scrap material created during assembly of conductors into the enclosure.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a technique of assembling electrical conductors within an elongated electrically conductive enclosure in which a plurality of insulated conductors and a flexible stranded insulation-free conductor are inserted into the enclosure in such a way as to effect probabilistic contact between the insulation-free conductor and the enclosure. This probabilistic contact may be enhanced by bundling the insulated conductors to one another while excluding the insulation-free conductor, for example, by gathered the insulated conductors together into a bundle and wrapping strips of adhesive material about the insulated conductors at a plurality of spaced apart locations.
An advantage of the present invention is that no special connection or assembly step is required to ground the enclosure.